Eastern Market was designed by Adolf Cluss and was in continuous operation as a public market from 1873 until April 30, 2007 when it was damaged in a fire. It was the first in a larger city-owned public market system. The Market was expanded in 1908 with the addition of the Center and North Halls designed by Snowden Ashford. At the start of the 20th century, the Eastern Market was recognized as the unofficial "town center" of Capitol Hill. It is the last of the city's public markets still in operation.
The market nearly closed because of competition from grocery store chains and a decline in neighborhood investment. Local residents fought to keep it open, and the area has since been revitalized. Eastern Market continues to host a thriving farmers' market including fresh cuts of meats, baked goods and cheeses. Artisans and antiques dealers also sell their goods outside the market on weekends, making Eastern Market.
Eastern Market was badly damaged by an early-morning 3-alarm fire on April 30, 2007. The heaviest damage was in the South Hall of the market, the portion occupied by vendors' stalls, where the roof suffered a partial collapse. Following the fire, Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty promised to rebuild the market. The outdoor weekend market was disrupted but never closed. Many of the food vendors re-opened for business within weeks of the fire, selling their products outside of the building. In August 2007, the city completed a temporary market annex, known as the "East Hall," on the opposite side of 7th Street, on the grounds of Hine Junior High School. This housed the vendors until the reopening of the market building, with a ribbon-cutting on June 26, 2009.
This weekend Eastern Market will be hosting a celebration of the reopening this Saturday from 10am to 5pm with live music and other events.
As always, thanks to Wikipedia.
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